By PAUL NELSON, Staff writer . Monday, February 4, 2008
SCHENECTADY -- Schenectady County Democrats are expected next week to nominate Niskayuna attorney Martin S. Finn to fill a seat in District 3 that's been vacant since Michael Eidens resigned in December, County Legislative Chairwoman Susan Savage said today.
"We believe Marty will do a fine job in representing people in District 3," said Savage, herself a District 3 representative. She called Finn a "well respected attorney" and praised his "broad community leadership." He is a partner in the Albany law firm of Lavelle & Finn and has served on the Schenectady County Chamber of Commerce and the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association. Finn unsuccessfully ran the Legislature in 2001. The district includes Niskayuna, Scotia, and Glenville. Eidens, a former county court judge, resigned when he took a job as a state judicial hearing officer. The legislative seat carries an annual salary of just over $14,000. In March, the legislature changed the way vacancies are filled. They are now voted on by the entire 15-member legislature, not just legislators from the same district as the departing member. The Democrats currently hold an 11-4 majority in the body. Finn will serve until November but must seek election to fill out the remainder of Eiden's term, which runs until 2009.
SCHENECTADY COUNTY Democrats to tap Finn for seat Successor to Eidens will face elections to hold role BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Michael Lamendola at 395-3114 or lamend@dailygazette.com
Seeking to protect a vulnerable seat, Democrats in the Schenectady County Legislature will appoint Martin Finn to replace former Legislator Michael Eidens in a special meeting Monday. The appointment will restore the Democrats to 11 seats on the 15-person board. Eidens, 57, resigned in January to serve as a judicial hearing officer for the New York State Unified Court System. Finn, a partner in the law firm of Lavelle & Finn, will have to seek election to the District 3 seat in November to conclude Eiden’s term and then seek re-election November 2009 for full four-year term. He lives in Niskayuna with his wife, Ann, and their four children. Democrat William Chapman, a former Niskayuna councilman, was also interested in Eidens’ seat. The seat could prove vulnerable in November, said Tom Buchanan, chairman of the Schenectady County Republican Committee. Republicans controlled a majority of the five seats in District 3 prior to the 2005 election. “It is prime for pickup. The election will be a referendum on the Democratic Party’s control in the county,” Buchanan said. District 3 encompasses Niskayuna and Glenville and is the largest of the four county legislative districts. Republicans outnumber Democrats 12,613 to 10,581 there. A Democratic Party official, who asked to speak anonymously, said Democrats need a candidate in District 3 who can come out of “Niskayuna with a large enough margin to overcome the Glenville Republican vote. Chapman couldn’t,” the official said. Chapman came in third in a four-way race for one of two seats in District 3 in November. He outpolled both Republicans in Niskayuna but fared poorly in Glenville. Also, “Democrats couldn’t select someone who just lost,” the party official said. In Finn, county Democrats have a candidate with a strong resume in the community, with the ability to raise money and with links to Glenville and Scotia, said another party insider, saying he was unable to comment publicly. LOCAL INVOLVEMENT Finn grew up in Scotia and graduated from the Scotia-Glenville School District and still has friends there, he said. Finn attend Siena College and Albany Law School. He is immediate past president of the Chamber of Schenectady County, serves as a member of the St. Clare’s Hospital Foundation Board of Directors. He also is a member of the board of directors of the Schenectady County Industrial Development Agency and is a board member and former president of the Northeast New York Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Schenectady County Legislature Chairwoman Susan Savage, D-Niskayuna, said Finn has “very solid professional credentials to serve as a member of the Legislature, but he also has deep roots in our community and an extensive history of community service.” Finn ran for one of three seats in District 3 in 2001 as a Democrat. He came in last in a four-way race, losing to Republican Mona Golub. Both Finn and Golub were making their first bids for offi ce. Buchanan said Republicans have been looking at several “top contenders” for the District 3 seat. “It is our strongest town. There are numerous leads we are pursuing,” he said. Buchanan said he expects to make the race a forum on the Democrats’ current record. “Democrats have led the county to higher taxes, creating patronage jobs for their political friends at the expense of libraries and services,” he said. Chapman said he was disappointed he was not picked to fi ll Eidens’ seat. “It’s the majority of the Legislature who make the appointment and I have to defer to county leaders,” he said. Chapman said he applied for the opening, presented his credentials and underwent an interview with Savage and Brian Gordon, D-Niskayuna. “They said all the people they spoke with had strong credentials and that the decision was a hard one to make,” he said. Chapman said he learned of the party’s decision several days ago from Schenectady County Democratic Committee Chairman Brian Quail. Quail was not available for comment. Chapman will still get a chance to serve, he said. Niskayuna Supervisor Joe Landry nominated him to the board of the Metroplex Development Authority. He will replace Ken Bulko, whose term expired in 2006. Terms run for five years. “I hope to provide good service on the Metroplex board,” Chapman said. “After the election was over, I asked the Niskayuna town supervisor if he was looking for a candidate on Metroplex and I said I would serve in that capacity.” Former Niskayuna Supervisor Luke Smith had renominated Bulko to a second five-year term in Metroplex. Bulko said the appointment is the supervisor’s prerogative, but that “I had wanted to serve.”
SCHENECTADY COUNTY Battle shapes up in District 3 GOP: Vote a ‘referendum’ on Democratic control BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Michael Lamendola at 395-3114 or lamend@dailygazette.com
There is only one seat open in an off-year special election this November on the Schenectady County Legislature, but a lot of political eggs may end up in that basket, political officials said. Schenectady County Republican Committee Chairman Tom Buchanan calls the special election “a referendum on the Democratic Party’s control in the county.” Democrats hold an 11-4 majority in the Legislature. The special election is to fill the seat of former county Legislator Michael Eidens, D-Schenectady. Eidens resigned in January to serve as a judicial hearing officer for the New York State Unified Court System. The winner will have to run again in November 2009 for a full four-year term. Democrats appointed Martin Finn to Eidens’ District 3 seat in February, giving him the status of incumbent in the special election. District 3 comprises Glenville and Niskayuna; it is the largest of the four legislative districts and where Republicans outnumber Democrats 12,613 to 10,581. Republicans are looking for a candidate to run against Finn, Buchanan said. He and Glenville Republican Chairman Tom Neals and Niskayuna Republican Chairman Michael Mansion will interview candidates the week of March 17 and make an endorsement in April, he said. “We want to cast the widest net we can. We will consider all candidates and pick the best candidate,” Buchanan said. Buchanan said Finn’s District 3 seat is vulnerable. “Overall, it is a Republican district and we are competitive there. And given the dire financial straits under the Democratic leadership this year, we think it is a vulnerable seat,” he said. Schenectady County Democratic Committee Chairman Brain Quail said Finn will prevail in the special election, as he is “an excellent candidate who is well known in the community and has extraordinary credentials.” Finn is a partner in the law firm of Lavelle & Finn. He is immediate past president of the Chamber of Schenectady County and serves as a member of the St. Clare’s Hospital Foundation Board of Directors. He also is a member of the board of directors of the Schenectady County Industrial Development Agency and is a board member and former president of the Northeast New York Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Nevertheless, Quail said, Democrats won’t take the race for granted. “It will be a contest and Marty will win in the end,” he said. Both parties want candidates who will do well in both towns, as each has a unique voting profi le. Niskayuna tends to vote for Democrats while Glenville “is a treasure trove for Republicans,” Buchanan said. “A candidate needs to do well in both towns to win,” Quail said. Both towns have Democratic supervisors and majorities on their boards. The special election race should also prove to be expensive, party leaders said. “It will be well funded. It is the only legislative race at the county level,” Quail said. MONEY TALKS To date, Democrats have raised more money than Republicans, according to financial disclosures. Buchanan said “money is important, but issues are important, too.” He said Republicans plan to hammer Democrats on several fronts. “There is the financial condition of the county; the Democrats’ ‘payto-play’ approach to campaign contributions; the excessive growth of patronage jobs under their watch; the cutback on services, such as library hours,” he said. “These are issues voters are interested in. The chickens are coming home to roost in Schenectady County,” Buchanan said. The success of the Republican message this November could help determine its campaign strategy in 2009 when seven seats on the county Legislature are in play, party leader said. Democrats hold six of the seats, one of them belonging to Legislature Chairwoman Susan Savage, D-Niskayuna. Quail said he welcomes debate on these issues. He said the county’s financial condition is still under review. County officials are looking at a $12 million to $16 million shortfall in revenues going into 2009 and have begun the budget process months earlier than scheduled to deal with the issue. “Voters understand that governments find themselves in diffi cult financial situations and they will judge the leaders on how they respond to these financial pressures,” Quail said. “The Democratic leadership will do everything possible to prevent increases in taxes.” Quail also criticized Buchanan’s allegation that contributors to Democrats receive political favors in return. “He is calling everyone who has given money to county Democrats a criminal,” he said. “You are seeing a lot of people giving money to the Democrats because they like the leadership that has been offered by them.” On the issue of Democrats’ creating “excessive patronage jobs,” Quail said county government has been reduced, not expanded, since Democrats took office three years ago. Since then, the county has eliminated at least 200 jobs to reduce expenses, he said. The county employs approximately 1,200. He added that Democrats have “a fine record of appointing extremely qualified candidates” to positions that are exempt from Civil Service. On the final issue, that of cutting back county services, Quail said some reductions are necessary to avoid having to raise taxes. He said that the library’s board of directors, not the county Legislature, decided to cut back on branch library hours. The legislature controls the budget, however. “The library board is trying to put pressure on the Democratic majority to restore funding, so they cut the thing that would cause most public outcry,” Quail said.
It's VERY easy to divide the sheeple party vs party....we like a good battle over nothing more than bragging rights---just look at Hollywood and our sports....but, damn, we like those rebate checks......
the battle is NOT between parties...neither party has IT.....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Agreed, he is a good and thoughtful man who (usually) put partisanship aside in representing the residents of Schenectady County. In a brief discussion with him at one of the county legislature meetings last fall, he expressed displeasure and frustration with the county government. His resignation is a loss to his constituents.
Logged
